


challenges of humanity

by Rahmi



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Gen, Self-Acceptance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-24
Updated: 2010-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 01:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahmi/pseuds/Rahmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't realize how exhausting he was at ten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	challenges of humanity

He forgot how exhausting he was at ten. Exhausting, annoying, and stubborn, though Gwendolyn tells him that he can out-stubborn his ten year old self any day and he's stupider to boot.  
  
"Come on," he tells the kid, "I want to show you something."  
  
It's weird being in human form again. He reeks and he needs a shave, but the worst part is that he's uncomfortable in his own skin. Ben knows how he got this way. It's still a little surprising.  
  
"What're you gonna show me? Is it really cool alien tech?" his younger self asks. "I bet it's cool alien tech. Can I take some home with me?"  
  
"No," Ben says absently, "It's not tech and you're not taking it home."  
  
The ward is warmer than the rest of Headquarters, by something like ten degrees and Ben isn't surprised when the younger him starts complaining right away. As a human, they run warm. Ben usually twists into Big Chill when he comes here, absorbing energy and visiting at the same time.  
  
Human's nice, too, though, because he doesn't think his son's seen him since the day they had to cut him out of Kai.  
  
The baby's bigger now, but he's still too small to live by himself. Three months now on the incubator, three months since Vilgax laughed and dropped Kai off a skyscraper, since Ken was the only thing they could salvage of her.  
  
Three months in this small room, trying not to be human because it hurts to see his son like this and know he'll grow up without a mother because of Ben. Because of the Omnitrix.  
  
"This is Ken," Ben says softly. He places a hand on the incubator. "He'll be ready to come out in another month."  
  
"Ken?" his younger self asks. He leans forward to peer around Ben's hand, his own small fist coming up to press against the top of the incubator, then squints up at Ben. "No offense, but he's kind of ugly."  
  
Ben glances at his son and smiles. "He is a little bit," he concedes. "Grandpa says he looks a lot like us when we were babies."  
  
"Why would that matter?"  
  
Ben ruffles his past self's hair with his free hand. "He's my son," he says.  
  
"We're a dad?" Ben has to force down a laugh at the look on the kid's face; he's horrified. It's adorable, which isn't something most people can ever say about themselves. "I'm ten! I can't be a dad yet!"  
  
"I'm thirty, kid," Ben says.  
  
His younger self shrugs his thin shoulders. "Whatever," he says, "But why's he in this thing?"  
  
He's not going to tell his ten year old self about losing his wife. He's not going to tell him about what Vilgax is capable of, because Ben has nightmares at thirty, nevermind ten. There's Kevin and Ghostfreak, Vilgax and the High Breed and a million and one other things that are going to try to kill him.  
  
There's a lot of stuff to come. No reason to spoil it.  
  
"There was an accident," he finally says. "He'll be fine."  
  
"Well, it's a good thing I came along now, huh? Just imagine how much it'd suck having a Dad that doesn't ever turn human or is too busy playing hero to play with you." The kid beams up at him and Ben finds himself smiling back. Jeez, he's young. And short. And very, very small.  
  
Ben's got a son that he can't touch and a ten year old version of himself that wants to help. His life couldn't get more ridiculous if it tried. It's better to concentrate on that than it is to think about... other things.  
  
Emotions aren't as close when you're an alien.  
  
"So his name's Ken, huh?" his younger self asks. The kid's got his nose pressed against the incubator, his hands bracketing his face, when Ben looks down at him. "Are we gonna call him Kenny?"  
  
"I haven't gotten that far," Ben says.  
  
"As long as you don't call him 'Kenji,'" the kid says with a little grimace. "Does Kevin ever stop calling us that? It's creepy."  
  
No, no, he doesn't. "He might, one day," Ben says.  
  
He's gonna get a whole lot creepier, though, he doesn't say. Kevin has become one of the few beings that still give him nightmares; Vilgax is tied with him on that score, but Kevin hasn't killed anyone and Ben would still rather tangle with Vilgax than Levin any day.  
  
Vilgax keeps his hands to himself. Kevin's... wander. In ways that make Ben's skin crawl at thirty. No way in hell is he going to tell his pre-pubescent self about it.  
  
Though he does want to go back in time himself and ask what the hell Grandpa Max was thinking, letting a ten year old make mortal enemies out of psychopaths.  
  
"I don't like that face," his younger self says. "That's a bad face. Gwen makes that face when I'm doing something stupid."  
  
"It's a 'stop asking me questions' face," Ben says. He leans over to kiss the glass over his son's head and smiles when Kenny pries open his eyes to give him an unimpressed look. The baby sleeps more than he's awake; better for development, Gwendolyn claims.  
  
Still, Ben likes it best when Ken's awake.  
  
"Well, fine. See if I help you again." All the same, the kid smushes his mouth against the glass as well before he pulls off and says brightly, "Okay, now, don't we have a birthday to celebrate?"  
  
"We do," Ben says.  
  
XLR8 would get them there faster, but Ben puts his hands on his younger self's shoulders (thin and small and breakable, Jesus Christ, the thought of his son fighting something at ten is horrifying) and stays human anyway.  
  
Nothing wrong with being human.


End file.
